Police and ICE agents arrest Flye's girlfriend

Tuesday

Apr 1, 2008 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Graziadei

I&M Assistant Editor

The girlfriend of an alleged rapist who is still on the loose after escaping from police in New Bedford last week was arrested on Nantucket by local police and federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Gilda Rodrigues Silva, the girlfriend of rape suspect Anthony Flye, was taken into custody yesterday on an immigration warrant and is expected to be returned to her native country of Brazil, according to Detective Lieutenant Jerry Adams.

Flye, who owns a home on Nantucket and escaped from police custody in New Bedford last Tuesday, remains on the loose, however, and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office is now offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.

Flye, 38, who owns a home at 9 Brinda Lane, has managed to avoid detection since he escaped from St. Luke's hospital Tuesday despite the coordinated search efforts of law enforcement agencies around the region.

The search for Flye spread to Nantucket earlier last week, when local police distributed pictures of the suspect at points of entry to the island.

Nantucket police responded to Nantucket Memorial Airport last Thursday after a man whose name Flye allegedly used as an alias in the past booked a flight to New Bedford. Though police don't believe Flye has returned to the island, officers are now distributing pictures of him around Nantucket.

Adams said earlier this week that local police were aware of the Flye's escape and were on the lookout for him, but doubted he would return to the island.

“”We’re just being vigilant,” Adams said. “There’s a BOLO for him and that’s pretty much what we’re doing. I don’t believe he would come back here, it would be foolish for him to do that, but you never know and we’ll take precautions.”

Adams said if any Nantucket residents spot Flye on the island, they should not approach him, and contact police immediately.

Flye, who was recently indicted on charges of rape of a child and incest, escaped from New Bedford court officers who had been guarding him at St. Luke’s Hospital Tuesday afternoon, according to Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson.

After appearing in New Bedford Superior Court Tuesday, where he had appeared to request a reduction of his $1 million bail, Flye jumped over a railing and fell into a stairwell, Hodgson said. Flye claimed he had been injured by the fall, and he was transported to St. Lukens by New Bedford court officers.

After requesting to use a bathroom, Flye managed to elude the court officers and escape from the facility without shoes, and wearing only a hospital gown. Flye was last seen attempting to board a bus, but when the driver denied him entry, he continued to run down the street, Hodgson said.

The Bristol County Sheriff's Department was notified by the court officers, and the manhunt began Tuesday evening. Currently, the South Coast Crime Task Force is searching the area, and a "BOLO" or "be on the lookout" order has been issued to other law enforcement agencies around the region.

“It’s an exhaustive search going on and it will continue until we apprehend him,” Hodgson said. “We want to determine if he had accomplices and if it was a planned event or if it was spontaneous. We’re looking at who was in the court house as well.”

Hodgson said his department was not involved in guarding Flye at the hospital, and was notified of the situation only after he had escaped.

Flye was originally arrested on the sexual assault charges outside his Brinda Lane home by Nantucket police and State Troopers after members of the Swansea, Mass. Police Department had requested that he be taken into custody. After spending the night in the town lockup, Flye was transported to Fall River District Court where he was arraigned on charges of rape of a child with force, rape, indecent assault and battery on an elderly or disabled person, indecent exposure, assault and battery on an elderly or disabled person with injury, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, and incest. He was held on $500,000 bail following the arraignment.

Police believe at least one of the alleged sexual assaults occurred on Nantucket, and according to Swansea police officer Peter Robidoux, the alleged crimes began in 2004 and came to the attention of law enforcement authorities only recently after one of the victims came forward with the accusations.

Flye was recently indicted by a Bristol County grand jury on charges of rape, indecent assault and battery on a disabled person, assault and battery on a disabled person, rape of a child under the age of 16, enticing a child under the age of 16 and incest. New Bedford Superior Court Judge Robert Kane raised bail for Flye from $500,000 to $1 million following the grand jury indictment.

Adams said Flye has an extensive criminal history both in and out of state, but no record on the island other than a minor motor vehicle violation or two.

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